Christian freedom
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God.”- I Corinthians 2:12
Last night I was in a Bible study with several other men, and the question came up about our freedom as Christians. As Christians are we allowed to partake in the things of this world. For example as a Christian can we go to a bar, or have a beer. The short answer to that question is yes. We have been set free by the blood of Christ, so we are permitted to do these things. However, just because we are permitted to do it doesn’t mean that we should. The Apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but all things edify.” And Christ said when He died on the cross, “It is finished.”, so we would know that the Law had been fulfilled, and through His blood we set free from all restraints.
However, there is a second part to the question, can we go to a bar. Definitely, we can; but should we? This raises a question that people have debated since the times of Christ. There is no doubt that as Christians, followers of Christ, we have total and complete freedom, but with freedom comes responsibility. The more freedom you have the more responsibility goes along with it. We have ultimate and absolute freedom. When we called on Jesus for salvation we were given freedom even over death. I Corinthians 15:55 says, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?…” You’ve heard me say this before, and I guarantee you’ll hear it again. But we are fireproof, or death-proof. Christians have the kind of life insurance that State Farm can only dream about providing. However, like I said that kind of freedom also carries a huge responsibility.
Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:7, “Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling comes!” And Jesus said in the previous verse that if we cause one who believes in Him to fall away that it would be better for us to be drowned. I think that puts it clearly that while we do have ultimate freedom through the blood of Jesus, and don’t ever let anyone tell you differently; we also have a huge responsibility to present Christ in a way that glorifies Him!
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Father, I thank You for giving me total and complete freedom in Jesus, and I ask that You would give me the wisdom to use that freedom in a way that always glorifies You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Yes, You Can Ministry 